So, here I am updating the chapter that maybe no one wants to read... :) I should tell you that I already got the next chapter back from my beta reader, but I'll only post it whenever I feel like I've tortured you enough! I'm so mean I could be HYDRA! xD (Maybe... maybe I'll post the chapter Sunday night. Maybe!)
Anyway, enjoy it as best as it's possible.
Skye is 6-years-old
Never give up
Coulson awoke once the details of his dream were getting too similar to his daily life. His brain perceived it was only a dream and pulled him out of dreamland. He opened one eye and moaned, his whole body aching. Sleeping with his head on his desk, paperwork and reports digging into his cheek, had seemed like such a good idea last night. Now, however, he wasn't so sure.
He blinked, tasted the draft of bitterness in his mouth, shut his eyes, and blinked again. As he yawned while rubbing the sleepiness from his eyes, fuzzy last remnants of a dream were being chased away. It was a nice dream but the details were fading fast as he tried to hold on to them. Lately dreams were one of the best things that brought meaning to his life.
"Oh God…" Coulson grumbled when he rested back in the chair. He even heard some of his bones cracking.
He slowly raised his head once he heard Skye's dog frantically running into his office, his nails scratching on the floor. The dog jumped onto Coulson's lap, put his paws on his chest and gave him one long lick on the face.
"Thanks Chip…" he mumbled in a hoarse voice, cleaning his face. "I really needed that."
The agent had to put the dog on the floor to push himself up from the chair. Chip ran to Coulson's bedroom and grabbed one of his shoes. The dog then returned to the couch, chewing on the shoe. Coulson tottered to the living room, finding Skye on the couch and the TV on, the flashing images of the cartoons burning his sleepy, exhausted eyes.
"Morning dad," Skye spoke between a spoonful of cereal.
"Not such a great morning," Coulson grumbled, seeing that Chip was biting another pair of his shoes.
"I've fed Chip already," Skye told him. That felt like a punch to the stomach for Coulson.
He made his way to the kitchen and despair hit him harder. There were kibbles all over the kitchen floor, and cereal grains as well.
"Skye," he shouted, "how many times did I tell you not to feed Chip and to wait for someone to prepare your breakfast?"
"I didn't make much of a mess!" the girl said in the living room.
"Of course not!" Coulson's voice climbed up a full octave without effort.
Skye tried to get up quickly to meet her father, but she ended up spilling her breakfast on the floor. "Oops," she whispered, returning to her seat on the couch, hoping her father wouldn't look at the floor.
Coulson cleaned up the mess Skye had made in the kitchen and when was done, he headed toward his bedroom to change clothes. Though, he stopped in the hallway, finding it suspicious that Skye was so focused on whatever Chip was sniffing on the floor. Little did he know that she had gotten the dog to lick the milk and cereal off the floor.
Once he got to his bedroom, he found his clothes all over the place, bitten shoes and socks with holes accompanying them. The whole house was a mess, reports were piling up on his desk, his work performance was climbing down at a preoccupying rate, and his relationship with Skye was getting distant. It had been a couple of months since Coulson started avoiding spending time either at work or at home. It wasn't because he didn't enjoy his work anymore or that he didn't like Skye any longer. It was just that his whole life had at some point become one huge routine. He had obligations, and if he felt that wasn't fair and good for him, it was even less fair for Skye. She needed someone who could protect her, and Coulson felt that having someone depending on him that much wasn't healthy for him.
Coulson sat on the floor at the foot of his bed, realizing that little by little, he was losing control of all his life obligations. He couldn't live like that any longer. All his life he had been Mr. Right and that wasn't sustainable. He was only a man, and he was all alone; he wanted to get something else in exchange.
A thought ran through his mind, but the agent simply shut his eyes, trying to forget about it. He got up from the floor and quickly made his way to the bathroom. He splashed some cold water on his face, but the thought was still there, louder than before, righter than before. Gazing at his reflection in the mirror, he made his decision. He walked back to his office and made a call to SHIELD.
Guilt struck him right after he hung up. He passed by Skye in the living room. She was so engrossed with her cartoons, giggling joyfully, that he had to leave the room immediately. Tears were threatening to fall down his face, but he didn't allow himself that. He grabbed a duffel bag and started stuffing in everything that belonged to Skye. He left it by the door. In his head he was preparing a speech that he knew Skye wouldn't accept, just like it didn't feel right for him to be saying it. But he had to do it, and if he were to do one last good thing for Skye, then he'd do it at that moment.
Walking into the living room, Coulson turned off the TV and got the bowl of cereal from Skye's hand, putting it on the coffee table in front of them. Skye looked at Coulson, puzzled; she could sense something wrong was going on. He took a seat on the couch next to her and breathed out, gathering the courage.
"I hope you will one day forgive me, Skye," Coulson started, "for what I've done. For what I'm about to do."
"What's going on?"
"SHIELD is going to take you-"
Skye questioned immediately, tears pooling in her eyes, "Take me where?"
Coulson took a deep breath and restarted, "SHIELD is going to take you to an orphanage."
"That's where boys and girls who don't have a family are. You don't want me anymore? You said I'd always have you. Why you no want me anymore?"
By now tears were rushing down Skye's cheeks.
"It's not that I don't want you anymore. It's just I… Skye?" Coulson tried to pull her to his lap but she crawled away from him. "Listen, these things are not up to me," he lied, even though he promised her he'd never lie. "You have to understand, Skye. It's for your own good."
"But I don't wanna go. I wanna stay here, with you."
"Skye, if you're going away it means that I'm not doing a good job taking care of you. They'll find someone else to-"
"You're doing good, dad." Skye cried and clung to his neck, "I don't want to go! Don't let them take me."
Coulson gently forced Skye to let go of him. "Let's get your clothes changed. Some SHIELD agents will come by to take you in a while."
"I don't want to go…"
Skye kept on crying and crying and Coulson had to take her in his arms and dress her up. The girl didn't even put a fight. She was just crying and sobbing, clinging to her father's neck every time she had a chance.
"Where-where am I going?" she asked between sobs.
"I don't know."
"But you'll visit me there, right?"
Coulson sighed, wiping away her tears. "I don't think I'll even know where you're being taken."
The doorbell rang a while later, and Skye cried harder, wrapping her arms around Coulson's legs so he wouldn't open up the door. He picked her up in his arms and opened the door to two SHIELD agents.
"Daddy…" Skye whimpered.
Coulson sighed and told her, "You'll have to go now."
The girl hugged him tightly and didn't let go. The two agents were just standing there, looking at the scene.
Coulson looked up and said, "Take her." The agent stood still, and Coulson insisted, "Take her. Now."
The child cried as the agents took her away. As soon as the door closed, Coulson realized that he might have just made the biggest mistake of his life, but by then it was too late to change his mind.
Skye had taught him about never giving up, but he was weak and he failed, and so he gave up.
On a further chapter you'll understand the reason for Coulson's behavior in this chapter and why he did this.
Next chapter will be the turning point of this story, making it chapter 11 a some sort of phase 2 for this fanfiction. I hope I'll keep you hooked, because I know the change will leave you a bit surprised. A bit only, it's not like something you'd never expect it to happen.
So, reviews are really nice and I love them. Tell me what you thought of this chapter, feel free to insult Coulson as much as you like, tell me what do you expect for the phase 2 of this fanfiction.
